Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Genus Paralaea Guest, 1887

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Genus Paralaea Guest, 1887

Introduction

As Fletcher (1979) pointed out, Paralaea was first used by Guest (1887) without any indication that it was a new generic name. The name was probably obtained through correspondence with Meyrick as an identification of submitted specimens and unintentionally made nomenclaturally available soon afterwards. However Meyrick apparently changed his concept of Paralaea before his generic description was published and in 1892 erected Stathmorrhopa to embrace the species complex including Chlenias beggaria Guenée, 1857. Plesiolaea Fletcher, 1979 is the objective replacement name for Paralaea Meyrick 1892, the latter being a junior homonym of Paralaea Guest.

The question of a misidentified type species arises in relation to Paralaea Guest. P. beggaria (Guenée) was the sole nominal species included by Guest (1887) in Paralaea. Edward Guest’s collection, now in the South Australian Museum, contains specimens of both ochrosoma and porphyrinaria collected at Balhannah before 1888. However, his 1887 description of “beggaria” relates more closely to ochrosoma, which is the most widespread and abundant species in the Mount Lofty Ranges. In accordance with Article 70.3.2 of the 4th edition of the Code (ICZN 1999), we therefore select Chlenias ochrosoma as the type species of Paralaea in the interests of stability (McQuillan et al. 2001).

 

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia


Extra Distribution Information

Paralaea is represented in most eucalypt-dominant habitats with a seasonal climate in coastal and sub-coastal Australia south of latitude 24° S, including to the treeline in sub-alpine regions of the south-east. Most such forested regions have at least one or two species present and diversity is at a maximum in Tasmania. Exceptionally, six species occur on Snug Plains in south eastern Tasmania, an extensive plateau at an intermediate altitude which is near the upper and lower limits of lowland and sub-alpine monocalypts and harbours 17 Eucalyptus species including many endemics (Davidson et al. 1987, Williams & Potts 1996).

Australian Endemic.


Distribution References

Diagnosis

Adult Paralaea are best differentiated from related genera by the following features: head with crown bearing erect projection behind antennal socket (a smaller one is present in Fisera Walker, 1860, but is absent in Plesanemma McQuillan, 1984, Mnesampela Guest, 1887, Niceteria Turner,1929, and Nisista Walker, 1860); male aedeagus with caecum strongly recurved; vesica with ornamentation comprising a row of curved, talon-like spines (typically four or five) and a distal row of straight, acuminate spines; female antrum expanded asymmetrically; tongue-like protuberance on dorsum of A8 of pupa.

A sclerotised, plicate ductus bursae is also present in genera such as Nisista but these lack the asymmetrical dilation of the anterior part of the ductus. A small caecum may be present in the closely allied genus Fisera but it is not as well developed and never recurved. Later instar larva (L4-L5) with frons strongly flattened but this feature is also present in Fisera.

 

ID Keys

Key to the species of Paralaea based on superficial characters of adult moths:

1. Forewings with darker transverse mottling or strigulae……………….…..…….....2
- Forewings without darker transverse markings………...…………..………….…3
2. Head and patagia unicolorous with thorax; forewings without scattered white scales……………………………………………….………………….…beggaria
- Head and patagia with pale grey scales; forewings with scattered white scales, sometimes with basal patch of grey-white scales…………..………….chionopasta
3. Forewings with longitudinal streak or streaks………………………………………4
- Forewings without longitudinal streaks……………………………………….…...5
4. Forewings with dark streaks between veins on a pale background……….polysticha
- Forewings with whitish streak on a dark background, extending through discal dot and conspicuous at base………………………………………………….taggorum
5. Forewings with venation outlined in red-brown, orange-brown or ochreous………6
- Forewings mostly unicolorous…...………………………………….…………….7
6. Forewing ground colour purplish brown….………………….……….porphyrinaria
- Forewing with ground colour pale grey, thoracic crest tipped orange brown .………………………………………………………………………….toowoomba
- Forewing ground colour grey with distinct corrugated appearance [W.A. only] .…………………….……………………………………………….….……...jarrah
- Forewing ground colour chestnut brown, not corrugated [W.A. only]…….…..karri
7. Hindwings and forewings uniformly grey or fuscous …………………………………………………………………………………….8
- Hindwings white or greyish white in basal two-thirds; thoracic crest blunt; larger species…..…………………………………………………………………………9
8. Forewings grey with pink tinge……………………………………………..sarcodes
- Forewings uniformly grey, thoracic crest tall and slender, smaller species
……………………………………………………………………………tasmanica

- Forewings heavily irrorated with fuscous, crest normal, larger species [Q. only]
……………………………………………………………………………maranoa
9. Forewings black; hindwings almost white near base………..……………..atralba
- Forewings dark sooty brown; hindwings greyish white near base……..ochrosoma

Key to the known larvae (L4, L5) of Paralaea:

1. Body with broad mid dorsal white stripe present……………..chionopasta, sarcodes
- Body without broad mid dorsal white stripe ………………...…………………….2
2. Thoracic segments with rosy lateral spots; pale lateral line incomplete anteriorly …………………………………….……………………….……………..porphyrinaria
- Thorax without rosy spots; lateral line complete from T1-A9 ………………………. ……….…………………………………………………………………………………3
3. Body of some specimens with dark dorsal band…………………………...beggaria
- Body without dark dorsal band……………………………………………………...4
4. Body with pronounced antero-lateral extensions of prothoracic shield ………………………………………………………………………………...taggorum
- Body without pronounced antero-lateral extensions of prothoracic shield
……………………………………………………………………...atralba, ochrosoma

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
21-Feb-2022 GEOMETROIDEA 04-Dec-2021 MODIFIED Dr Cathy Byrne (TMAG) Di Moyle (TMAG)
21-Feb-2022 23-Oct-2012 MODIFIED
21-Feb-2022 28-Jun-2012 MODIFIED
26-May-2010 MODIFIED